Libya oil fields of Bahi and Mabruk ‘seized by militants’

Islamist militants are reported to have seized two oil fields in central Libya, as rival groups fight for control of the country.

Forces guarding the Bahi and Mabruk sites retreated after running out of ammunition.

It is not clear which group seized the oil fields.

Libya’s internationally recognised government in Tobruk and its rivals Libya Dawn also conducted air strikes on each other’s positions.

Libya has been without an effective government since Muammar Gaddafi was ousted in 2011.

Mabruk, about 310 miles (500km) east of Tripoli, is one of Libya’s biggest oil fields.

It had been closed for some weeks because of violence and a slow-down of exports.
line

“Extremists took control of the Bahi and Mabruk fields and are now heading to seize the Dahra field following the retreat of the forces guarding these sites,” said Colonel Ali al-Hassi, a spokesman for the oil industry security service.

A gun attack on Mabruk in February left 11 people dead.

At the time witnesses said the attackers had claimed to be from a militia which has joined Islamic State.

The Islamic State militia, which controls the town of Derna, has not commented.